Keys to Destiny
by Eptastic Girl
Summary: It's been several years since Monkey D. Luffy has become King of the Pirates. Now it's time for the next generation of pirates to challenge him for the title. Not all is well on the seas, though, and it's going to take all pirates, enemies and friends alike, to rise against those threatening their freedom.
1. The Start of it All

Gia sighed, pulling her black hair back out of her grey eyes and smiling. Pirates were seated at different tables, drinking, eating, and just laughing together. She was cleaning the counter. The six currently empty seats in front of her counter were special—when these pirates, the Magician Pirates, were in Sunrise Town, they were always occupied by the captain, "Heart Queen" Lerina, her friend, "Poker Face" Tyro, and their four young followers.

"And then what happened? Don't leave us hanging!"

"Yeah! We have to know what happened!"

And here they came. Lerina, a green haired, pale skinned woman with matching green eyes walked through the doors. As the captain of a traveling "circus", she dressed in a sleeveless forest green dress with a black sash, and a matching top hat, with a Queen of Hearts tucked into her hat's ribbon. She took the first seat in the middle, resting her head on her propped up arm. Her four young followers, three kids and a fox, climbed into the seats around her, eagerness in their eyes.

The four formed Sunrise Town's resident pirate crew, the Key Pirates. They weren't actually pirates yet; they still had a few years to go before they could go out on sea. Still, they awaited that day with excitement and impatience.

On Lerina's right sat Gia's nine-year old nephew, Fang. His hair was always a mess of brown, falling in front of his mysterious, piercing blue eyes. His lightly tanned skinned matched his relaxed, yet strong exterior. He liked wearing dark colors, explaining his simple navy blue tank and black shorts. He was the last to join the Key Pirates.

Next to Fang was Realm, the youngest of the quartet at eight years old. She had long, purple hair, braided so it stayed out of her face, and bright, sea-green eyes. She was the color of cream itself; not to dark, not to light. Being that she liked to move around, she just wore a pair of blue rain boots and a denim overall dress with a green shirt underneath. She was the third to join.

On the other side of Lerina, skipping one seat, was Aria, a nine-year old with shoulder length black hair and deep, brown eyes. Out of the group, she had the darkest complexion, being a chocolate brown. She just wore a simple pair of black shorts and a purple t-shirt with sandals. From afar, it was impossible to tell her gender. Aria was the captain, forming the Key Pirates six years ago.

Finally, there was Braxie, a ginger colored vixen with a black-tipped tail and black paws. Around he neck she had a blue scarf. Her eyes were, noticeably and oddly enough, a ruby red color. She was rather large for a fox, and it was even more strange that she could speak the same tongue as a human. Braxie was the second member to have joined.

Lerina chuckled, going on with the story she was telling the Key Pirates. As a captain of a pirate crew, they looked up to her, and always wanted to hear about her adventures on the sea.

"I can tell you this, I owe the Straw Hats for getting us out of that situation. I'll never forget the look on that marine's face before Usopp knocked him out."

"Yeah! It's Usopp to the rescue!" Realm cheered out; she liked Usopp the best.

"I bet he'd be excited to find out he has a little fangirl," another voice said, chuckling.

"Tyro!" Fang, Aria, and Realm exclaimed together. Tyro sat between Aria and Lerina. He was around Lerina's height and had burnt amber hair and jade green eyes, and an almost similar skin tone to Fang. Going with the circus theme of the crew, he was dressed as a jester, wearing a blue and green shirt over a pair of blue pants with a matching jester's hat.

"I'm not just a little fangirl; I'm going to be his successor, right after I write the best story ever!" Realm said, proudly pointing to herself.

"And I bet I'll be Pirate Queen one day!" Aria followed. "Just look at what I learned to do!"

She stared intently at Lerina's hat, closing her eyes and concentrating on it. The hat took on a purple glow and floated off of the captain's head. It shook as it floated, but still, Aria managed to levitate the hat over her own head and put it on.

"Ta-da!" she said. The hat dropped over her eyes, to big for her head. She pushed it back up, smiling widely. Everyone clapped for her, amazed at her new ability. Lerina took her hat back.

"Only a month after eating that Devil Fruit, and you've already mastered levitation." Tyro grinned. "I'd say you be an amazing pirate crew with extraordinary abilities."

"Of course we will!" Fang declared. "We'll be the very best!"

"Like no one ever was!" Braxie added, tail wagging. "Except for you and Captain Luffy, of course."

"Even if I don't become Pirate Queen exactly, then I'll at least be a great pirate captain!" Aria squealed. She dreamed of being a great pirate captain. Lerina chuckled.

"Oh, guess what, guess what!" Braxie was literally bursting with excitement.

"What?" Tyro asked.

"Fireflies!" Braxie squealed. "We're going to catch a bunch of them tonight just like you taught us!"

"Well, it late summer, the perfect time to do so…" Tyro thought aloud.

"There's another reason," Gia said, looking at the four.

"Is there?" Lerina raised an eyebrow.

"Well…our parents decided we're going to move away," Fang started. "Realm and I are going to be leaving tomorrow. So, since tonight is the last night we're staying here, we're going to catch fireflies."

"Yeah, but it won't be the last time we see each other!" Realm hastily added. "When we're old enough, we're all going to go out to sea together! The fireflies will be like our farewell ceremony, since we're going to catch them together!"

"Now, that's no way to say farewell!" Tyro said, making a disapproving sound.

"It isn't?" Aria blinked. "Then how do we say farewell?"

"We have just the thing. See, we have something special to show you~" Lerina sang.

"Really? What is it?" Realm asked, eyes brightening.

"Now Realm!" Tyro faked a scolding tone. "If we told you, it wouldn't be a surprise!"

Lerina stood up, clapping her hands excitedly.

"Go get ready, Key Pirates; tonight will be a very memorable one for you all!"

They gave a collective cheer, and walked out in a line, Aria leading them.

"We're the Key Pirates!" she chanted.

"Adventure is what we live for!" the three chanted back.

* * *

Night was close to falling. Aria and Braxie ran out of their house, running towards the hideout of the Key Pirates. It was by a cliff-side, where it overlooked the ocean. Their hideout was across the island, so they had to leave slightly earlier than nightfall if they didn't want to be late.

"Look, the first fireflies of the night!" Braxie called out, seeing three little lights flutter around. The flag of the Key Pirates flew proudly as the wind blew. The Jolly Roger was a skull with keys for the cross bones.

"Hey, guys!" Realm was waving from up the hill. She and Fang were already there. As the two reached them, they watched as the fireflies flew around them.

"Where's Leri and Tyro?" Braxie asked.

"Right here, Keys!"

Lerina and Tyro were walking up to them, carrying a bag with them. They stood in a line with each other, smiling widely. Lerina chuckled. She took out a red scarf, wrapping it around Fang's neck.

"I knew you were always fond of wearing scarves, so I made one just for you," she giggled. He smiled at her bashfully.

"Thank you, Leri," he said quietly. He silently swore he'd never take it off.

Tyro was next. He took out a white feather, handing it to Realm.

"Realm, you said you wanted to write the greatest story in the world. Take this quill, and make sure you show me your story when it's finished." Realm reached out a tentative hand, taking it gently and looking at it with wide, excited eyes.

"You'll be one of the first on my list to see it!" she replied, holding the feather close to her. To Braxie, Tyro clasped a pin onto her blue scarf, holding it together. The pin was shaped and looked like a ruby.

"No fox can ever have too much red," he said. Braxie gave him an affectionate nuzzle against his hand.

Lerina took out a small handkerchief, and unwrapped it to reveal a silver necklace, the charm being a key with a heart shaped top. In the middle of the heart was an emerald.

"To the Captain of the Key Pirates," Lerina stated, clasping it around her neck. Aria stared at it, smiling.

"Thank you!" The Key Pirates said collectively, unable to contain their excitement.

"Now, let's see who can catch the brightest firefly!" Lerina challenged. They ran around, cupping their hands to try and catch them. They chased them around until they couldn't run anymore, falling to the ground. Their shrill and joyful laughter filled the air. After a while, they got up.

"There's one last thing we have to do," Tyro said. He took out a few strands of ribbon; one in pale purple, one in red, one in dark blue, and one in sea green.

He wrapped each of the ribbons around their right wrists, right front paw in Braxie's case, of the Key Pirates. The pale purple was for Aria, the red for Braxie, the dark blue for Fang, and the sea green for Realm. After they were all wrapped, he stood them in a line.

"These ribbons signify your nakamaship, so as long as you have it, you can never be broken apart," Tyro explained. The Key Pirates turned to each other, nodding.

"To be Pirate Queen." Aria put her right hand out.

"To find the Mythical Isles." Braxie placed her paw on top of Aria's.

"To write the greatest story ever." Realm's hand joined theirs.

"To become a ninja." Fang was the last to place his hand with theirs.

And from that night on, their bond was made invincible.

* * *

The evening of the next day came all to soon for the Key Pirates. Lerina and her crew had left town earlier that day, having going to find more adventures to have. Before Realm and Fang boarded the boat with their families, they gathered together on the dock.

"Farewell, captain," Fang said. He rubbed Braxie's head, who nosed his hand. He and Realm held their hands out.

"Farewell, Fang and Realm." Aria clasped her own hand with theirs, and watched as they boarded the ship. As it sailed off, Aria raised her arm into the air, the one with the ribbon. Braxie stood on her hind legs, raising her paw.

"We are the Key Pirates!" Aria screamed out for them to hear. Fang and Realm raised their own ribbons into the air, joining in with smiles on their faces.

"Adventure is what we live for!

* * *

_Yeah, it's Kitty/Ella here. Yeah, it's a One Piece story. Yeah, it's a next generation one._

_NOPE, I REGRET NOTHING!_

_...This chapter was longer than I expected._

_Ignoring my little thing there, if any of my friends are here, and I'm sure you are, then hi! This is my next project for a while until I can resume my Legend of Zelda story. Updates will be very jerky since I take a while to write chapters._

_Guys, just a note here; pay attention to Aria's name. Not her dialogue, not her personality, just her name in general. It plays a major plot point later on in the story. _

_Yes, Aria has eaten a Devil Fruit, but that is for later, when DFs actually do have a particular role in the story later. _

_Anyways, I've told you all enough. For now, I'm out of here. Later, guys!_

_By the way, if you find the reference in this chapter, you get some cake._

_~Epastic Girl_


	2. Departure! Aria and Braxie Set Sail!

Braxie and Aria sat on the edge of the cliff in the early morning, looking out to the sea. It had been at least eight years since the Key Pirates split up, and seven since the two last saw Lerina. Aria, Realm, and Fang had sent letters to each other at least every two or three weeks. It was only last month that they realized that they had waited long enough; no one was going to wait any longer.

The now seventeen year-old Aria was taller, her hair grown out so it reached her back and was in a ponytail. She now had a cropped, sky blue tank top with a white heart, along with denim shorts, a plum colored scarf around her waist, and black ankle boots. Hidden under her scarf, she had two daggers strapped to her leg. On her left wrist, she had two yellow bracelets and a star-shaped dial with a brown wrist strap. On her right, she had the same pale lavendar ribbon wrapped around her wrist. Her upper right shoulder also had a musical note painted in black. She always wore the necklace Lerina gave her.

Braxie had grown as well. She was now larger, coming just a little bit bellow Aria's waist when she stood straight. In comparison to a normal fox, she could easily be mistaken for a wolf with her size. Her right front paw was wrapped in the red ribbon, and her back left leg was bandaged; it looked as if she had hurt it not too long ago, although it didn't seem to bother her. She kept her blue scarf, still clasped together by the ruby pin she received from Tyro.

"Today's the day, Braxie." Aria's smile widened. "Today's the day we go out to sea."

"Yeah…it feels like only yesterday, we were waiting for the day we could finally go on our own adventure," Braxie commented.

"It does," Aria agreed.

A cool breeze came in, waving the flag the Key Pirates made all those years ago. The two looked up at at, smiling at the fond memories their flag held. In fact, the fond memories the whole village held. Getting Realm and Fang to join them, meeting real pirates for the first time, the adventures, the stories…

Sunrise Village held so many memories important to them.

"Remember the day Lerina and Tyro gave us those gifts, and Tyro had wrapped these ribbons on our wrists?" Braxie asked.

"Yeah; the day after we raised them into the air, when Fang and Realm were leaving." Aria looked down at her pale purple ribbon, smiling.

"Do you think the others still have theirs?"

"Of course they do! How could you ever ask such a silly question?" They both laughed, and watched as the sun rose into the sky, greeting them. Aria's face turned serious and concerned as her gaze fell to Braxie's bandaged leg.

"Braxie, are you sure you want to leave now? We could always go some other time if your leg is still bothering you…"

"Ari, I've told you a thousand times before. You're my captain, and even more so, my sister. We've been waiting for this day for eight years; there's no way we're waiting any longer because of some injury." Braxie shook her back leg. "Besides, I only sprained it. No little sprain can stop me!"

Aria sighed, but she smiled anyways and looked up. Their flag was still flying proudly above them.

"Anyways, we better head off; the whole town will be waiting for us." Braxie got up, stretching out. Aria picked up her bag and followed her. As they walked down the hill, they faced their old hideout one more time.

"We're the Key Pirates," Aria said.

"Adventure is what we live for," Braxie finished.

* * *

The villagers started to walk outside of their houses, stretching and greeting each other. Gia had just opened her up her bar and waved to one of the shop owners, who walked over to her.

"Isn't today the day Aria and Braxie set out?" he asked Gia. She nodded.

"It is. Fae and Deline have set something up for them. And here they come, now." The villager and Gia looked over to the couple walking towards them.

Fae was a tall, slim woman with dark brown hair and vibrant, green eyes. She was visibly tanned. Today, she was wearing a white sundress and sandals, with a blue-beaded necklace.

Her husband, Deline, was about a shade darker than Fae, with handsome brown eyes and black hair. He was wearing shorts and a blue polo shirt with sandals. Both were smiling brightly.

"Do you know where Ari and Braxie went? We haven't seen them since this morning," Fae said.

"I haven't seen them, either," Gia replied. "Did you try checking the forest?"

"Mom! Dad!"

The pair was running down the hill towards their parents. They halted in front of them, panting from the long run across the island, but still smiling widely as they had always done.

"Sorry we took so long," Aria apologized. "We were at the old hideout."

"I figured as much. So, are you ready for today, Future Pirate Queen?" Deline asked.

"You bet I am!" Aria fist pumped the air.

"And what about you, Miss Pirate Fox? Are you going to follow your captain to the ends of the sea?" He turned to his fox daughter.

"Now and forever!" Braxie's tail was swishing back and forth quickly.

"Come with us; we have something for you." He pulled Aria along, going towards the dock. There was a small boat waiting for them, big enough for her and Braxie. It had a small, indoor area, just in case it got cold or wet outside.

"Oh, it's perfect!" Aria hugged her parents closely, thanking them.

"Now, do you have everything? Your bag, map, fans, daggers, necklace, ribbons, compass, telescope…"

"Mom, we have everything." Aria chuckled, her smile softening as she looked at her mother. "We'll be alright."

"I just want to make sure, dear," Fae said, kissing Aria's head. "Stay out of trouble—well, I can't really say that, since you're pirates and all…Braxie, you better make sure your sister doesn't fall into the water and hurt herself!"

"I will, mom," Braxie promised, nuzzling Fae's hand. She always found something to make sure they were clear on. Aria and Braxie weren't biologically sisters, but they had been together for so long, it felt weird not to refer to them that way.

"Say hi to Fang for me," Gia said, smiling. She and Aria shared a hug as well. Deline pat his two daughters' heads.

"I expect to hear about you and the others often!" he joked.

"Oh, you will," Aria laughed, hugging her father. "You most certainly will."

After pulling away, she and Braxie looked at the villagers. Some gave them a thumbs-up; others only shook their heads, sighing, although there was a smile clear in their eyes.

"Well…I guess this is it…" Braxie shuffled her paws, eyes downward.

"You know you guys always have a place to return to here," Fae said, bending down to hug Braxie. The fox smiled, her tail wagging.

"Ready, Braxie?" Aria turned to her companion.

"Ready, Captain." They hopped onto the ship, Aria untying the boat from the dock and hoisting the sails. The wind pushed the boat along, setting the two out for their journey.

"Farewell, you two!"

"Never give up!"

"Don't forget to write!"

"Thank you, all of you!" Aria and Braxie waved back at them, and they continued to wave until they couldn't see each other anymore. The two girls looked out at the vast sea before them.

"When do you think we'll see the other two? I mean, we barely know where they are." Braxie looked up at the sky, watching the seagulls go by.

"That's alright; as long was we follow the letters they sent us, we'll be just fine." Aria ran her fingertips in the water, enjoying the cool feeling of it. "Yup, we'll be just fine."

* * *

_Gee, I'm updating again already and it's only been a few days. I haven't even gotten the next chapter STARTED. Some days I question my sanity._

_So, I've made a decision. On my YouTube account, I will be doing videos during the process of writing the chapter, and after I post the chapter, I'll do a video on what's next to come, and what I have for future plans. I don't know if I'll do this every chapter, it may be for every two or three chapters, and it may be random, I haven't really decided yet._

_Anyways, again, please review and tell me what you think! Reviews make me smile~! _


	3. A New Friend! Huliso the Swordsman!

The wind pushed the boat along at a steady pace. The sun was high in the sky, the water particularly relaxed. Aria was watching a pod of dolphins swim past them, waving to them. They clicked their tongues back to her in a friendly manner. She looked down at her dial and frowned.

"Braxie, I think we'll have to take a detour; a pretty strong storm is on its way," she said. "We're not too far east from an island. We'll make it before the storm can truly start." Aria turned the sail so it pointed in the direction of the island. The sky was darkening quickly as the clouds began to roll in. The wind was on their side, though; they would make it safely.

A large, white bird who had a delivery bag on him lowered himself to them, speaking with Braxie, who was able to understand animals, being an animal herself. After a moment, he nodded and flew onward next to them.

"I hope you don't mind if…what was your name again?" Braxie turned to the bird. He squawked to her. "Nomos, that's right. I hope you don't mind if Nomos joins us; he doesn't have anywhere to go for the storm."

"Of course he can stay with us!" Aria grinned widely, glad to have him with them.

"Oi, you look familiar," Braxie said, her attention turned back to Nomos. She sniffed him, recognizing his scent. "Ah! You're the one that usually comes with Realm and Fang's letters. Do have have anything for us today?"

He shook his head; neither Realm or Fang had given him anything for them.

Aria looked out, seeing the island she was talking about. It was uninhabited from what it looked like; the island was adorned with trees, bushes, and vines. It looked like some of the trees had fruit in them, and some were big enough to be hollows. They could easily find a hollow to stay dry in.

They were on the island in a few minutes. Aria dragged the boat onto shore. If the currents got too strong, they'd be sure the boat wouldn't be swept away. Braxie and Nomos helped her gather some of the fruit that was growing on the trees. Mangoes, bananas, apples, and peaches grew in abundance, and there was enough to last them a few days.

"Hey, Ari, look at that out there." Braxie pointed to a small boat. Nomos looked up, and flew out to the boat. Since it wasn't to far for her, Braxie swam out with him and pushed it onto the shore. On it was a boy, around Aria's age. He had short, steel gray hair and was on the pale side. He was wearing a yellow shirt, brown pants, and black boots. At his left side were two swords.

"Is he awake?" Braxie asked. As soon as she asked this, he stirred, getting up. Aria sat back so he could get up. Now looking at his eyes, she noticed they were a soft, lilac color.

"Hi!" she greeted.

"Hi…" he replied, looking away from her, not wanting to make eye contact with her.

"My name's Aria, Ari for short. I'm going to be Pirate Queen!" Aria pointed to herself proudly.

"And I'm Braxie. I'm just your average talking fox." Braxie sat back on her haunches, wrapping her tail around her paws. "Oh, and this bird is Nomos. That's a pretty small boat; what were you doing on it?"

"Well…I was looking for a person, and my raft got destroyed; thanks for pulling me in," he answered, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm Huliso, by the way. I want to be the world's greatest swordsman."

"Like Roronoa Zoro?" Aria asked.

"Yup, just like him." Huliso nodded. "And you want to be Pirate Queen, just like Monkey D. Luffy, right?"

"Not just "want to be"; I _will _be Pirate Queen!" Aria corrected. She stopped, a sudden grin appearing on her face. Braxie sighed.

"And here come the five words that will forever change your life…"

"Hey, want to join my crew?"

"What!?" Huliso jumped up, surprised. "But…but we just met!"

"Yeah, and we learned that we have similar ambitions, so why not?" Aria replied.

"W-well…I mean, it doesn't sound all that bad…"

"Then you're in?"

Huliso considered it for a moment. She had outstretched her hand to him, smiling widely. Sighing, he clasped hands with her, smiling slightly himself.

"I'm in."

"Yeah!" Aria cheered. Braxie felt a few drops of water on her head before it started to rain. They ran for cover under the trees, climbing into a large tree hollow, large enough for all four of them.

"So, where are you from?" Aria asked Huliso, sitting cross-legged and handing him an apple.

"Me? Oh, I'm from this place called Redstone Town," he replied, taking it from her. "It's not much, but I'm still proud of it. What about you?"

"Well, Braxie and I are from Sunrise Village. We're going to find our other two friends, Realm and Fang. We formed our crew, the Key Pirates, when we were little." Aria picked up an orange, trying to peel it without squirting the juice into her eyes as she had done many times before.

"Darn it," she hissed as she squirted juice into her eye. Taking her scarf, she wiping her eye. Huliso held back a laugh as she glared palyfully at him.

"So, you've been wanting to be a pirate for a while?" he asked.

"Yup!" It was Braxie who answered him. "Something about the sea just calls to you, and no matter what you do, you can't fight it."

Nomos gave the bird-like chuckle. Having flown in-between Aria, Realm, and Fang's hometowns, their letters were always filled with excitement and anticipation. In fact, he wasn't stationed far from Lougetown, a place he was sure the crew would be visiting; he'd most certainly cross paths with them again there.

"The storm won't be too long, now; It'll pass by in about an hour or two," Aria said, looking down at her dial.

"What's that, anyways?" Huliso pointed to it.

"Oh, it's a special dial, called a Sky Dial. It tells me how the weather will be. It's similar to a Log Pose, but it can't tell what path we're on," she explained. "Hopefully it also tells us where trouble and adventure waits!"

"Why did you decide to become pirates, though? The Marines will be chasing after you the moment you raise a Jolly Roger," Huliso warned.

"As if!" Aria scoffed. "Marines don't scare this crew; we want to take risks like that! That's what the Key Pirates are all about! We live for adventure!"

"And to causing trouble!" Braxie added. The two gave each other a high-five, cheering out. Huliso rolled his eyes, smiling.

"Do you think we'll get to meet the Straw Hat Pirates?" The sudden thought crossed the swordsman's mind.

"You bet we will! One day, we'll even get to challenge them, once we get a big enough crew, that is," Aria answered.

Huliso looked outside as he heard thunder clap.

"Don't you just love the rain?" Aria said, watching the rain fall. "If it wasn't so bad, I'd go out and play in it."

Huliso knew by her liking of the rain and storms that Aria was born in either late-spring or mid-summer. She also looked like she might have been born in South Blue. He didn't know why it was so important that he observed little facts like that in people; he just liked to do it, figuring out where they came from.

"When do you think you'll get an actual pirate ship?" Huliso asked.

"I dunno; maybe we'll build one on our own. I know Realm's father would be able to help us. He's a carpenter," Braxie explained. He looked at the bandage on her back leg; she most likely hurt it from a jump she didn't make correctly.

After about an hour, the storm had finally lightened up enough. Aria was the first to climb out of the hollow they camped out in, stretching her arms and legs out. Braxie was next, doing the same thing. Nomos spread his wings and flew around them. Huliso was last, pulling out the sack of fruit with him.

It was already close to sunset, thought from the storm, it made the sky take on a deep red color, adding to the orange and yellow. It was quite beautiful; the sunsets after storms were Aria's favorite type of sunsets, next to ones that she always saw above the ocean water.

"Ready to move on?" Aria asked. He nodded to her, walking beside them to the beach. Braxie took a piece of rope and tied the two boats together.

"So we won't get separated," she explained to their confused faces. Braxie hopped into the boat, as Aria pushed it onto the water, quickly getting on once the water was at her knee.

"Oh, Nomos!" Aria took out a letter. "Could you send this to Realm?"

Nomos nodded, taking the letter and putting it into his pouch. With a final wave, he flew off into the sky to give Realm the letter and head home for the day. The two hoisted their sails, sailing off into the sea.

"Oh, by the way Huliso, if you're going to be traveling with us, there's something you should know…" Braxie started.

"What?" Huliso turned to her. Aria giggled.

"_I'm a psychic!_"

"GAH!" He fell backwards, into the water. Aria squeaked, not able to do anything to help him; she would drown if she jumped in, and her powers weren't strong enough to lift humans and large animals up completely yet. Fortunately, none of that was needed, as Huliso climbed onto his boat a few seconds later.

"What…in the world…was that?" He snapped his head to Aria, his eyes widened with shock. She started to laugh at his expression, and had to give herself a minute to calm down to speak.

"Well, that was my telepathy ability; I can communicate to you from your mind. See, I ate the Psychic-Psychic Fruit when I was nine, so I'm a psychic."

"Nine? What in the world were you doing with a Devil Fruit when you were nine?" Huliso gave her a look that said he didn't completely believe what she said.

"Well, it's a long story…" Aria sighed, a smile of embarrassment coming to her face as she remembered how she acquired her powers.

"Basically," Braxie cut in, "there was a pirate crew, the Magician Pirates, who used to always come into our town. One day, Lerina, the captain of the crew, came in with a pink, cherry-shaped fruit. She didn't know what she'd do with it, so she just said that if any of her crew wanted it, they could have it. Well, a few days later, Fang had dared one of us to eat it. Ari here took that dare, knowing well that she'd lose her ability to swim."

"You would have done the same, so don't pin it on me," Aria added.

"I actually like to swim and I'd like to keep that ability, thank you very much." Braxie laughed at Aria's narrowed eyes. "Anyways, so she took the fruit and ate it. And that's how she got her ability."

"Was she mad? Lerina, I mean." Huliso added the last part quickly.

"She wasn't mad…" Aria started.

"She wasn't happy, either." Braxie swished her tail.

"I guess you could say she was between confused, surprised, and maybe she was annoyed. Though, she did say that I could be the best user of that Devil Fruit in particular."

"I still find it hard to believe," he said.

"Hey, ask Realm and Fang when we see them. They'll tell you the exact same thing." Braxie gave a chuckle, curling up and yawning. "Well, I think I'm going to take a nap, now."

"You're always napping." Aria rolled her eyes.

"Well, pardon me for being a fox," Braxie defended.

"A lazy one."

"Shut up, Ari." Braxie closed her eyes. "Wake me up when it's night time."

"No promises," Aria replied as the fox fell asleep. Clearly, Braxie heard, because her ears were laid back and her mouth was turned into a smile.

"Don't you two eventually get tired of each other?" Huliso asked as Aria laid back on her hands, looking up at the sky. Aria turned to him, giggling before saying;

"We're sisters. We're always going to get tired of each other before we go right back to fighting beside each other and having fun."

"Sisters?" he repeated. "It's biologically impossible for you two to be sisters."

"Well, when you've been stuck together since birth, it becomes hard to say you're otherwise." Aria shrugged, settling into a comfortable position on her back. Huliso dropped the subject, figuring he'd find out later.

* * *

"It's been a while since she's written…"

The sun had just gone down, the stars and the moon coming out as Realm walked back to her house, her purple hair being tossed by the wind. The sixteen year old no longer kept it a braid, instead just keeping an extra hair tie around her left wrist in case she needed to tie it up. She dressed in a pair of close-fitting, army green pants, a light yellow and white striped tank top, a brown belt with a pouch attached to it, and black combat boots. She had black, fingerless gloves and kept her ribbon on her right wrist, as always.

As she came to her house, she walked inside, closing and locking the door and going to her room. She heard a tap on her window. Opening it, she smiled to see the messenger bird that always came to her.

"Well, what're you doing out so late?" she asked. He handed her a letter. She stared in confusion at it. He seemed to chuckle, waiting for her to open it. Opening it. She read it aloud.

_Dear Realm,_

_ Sorry I haven't written in a while, but I have news for you! Braxie and I have finally set out to sea, and we're coming to get you and Fang. By the time you get this letter, we'll be headed towards your island. Something even better? We've got a new crew member, Huliso. He said he'll be the world's greatest swordsman! Isn't that cool! _

_ I'll tell you everything by the time we get to your island. Say hi to your family for us!_

_Best wishes,  
Aria, Braxie, and Huliso_

Realm dropped the letter, covering her mouth in shock.

"They're coming…oh, dear stars, they're coming here…"

* * *

_Nomos: Latin for wind or air._

_Cliffhanger!_

_Good lord, this chapter was a jerk to write. But anyways, here it is, all of it. Anyways, I'm also accepting FCs for Pokemon X and Y and just for other random games, so if you want to exchange, PM me!_

_Kitty, OUT!_


End file.
